Pretty Woman
by S. Chiba
Summary: Tomboyish Mizuki is trying to find the balance btwn who she is and who she should be in order to find the perfect man. Enter famous athlete Izumi Sano an expert at what a guy wants in a girl. Its up to Sano to transform Mizuki into a girl every guy wants.
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone!

Its been awhile and i've been suffering from a severe case of writers block. I blame it on school and all things associated. the whole SAT's and studying pretty much zaps up all one's creativity. This is my first story since then. I hope you all like it. this is technically a test chapter. i wanna see what kind of reaction i get first since its not a fully formed story. I've got a semi solid idea of where i might take it, but ill take my cues from you guys. Leave me reviews/PMs/some form of communication if you want me to continue. As always im open to suggestions. hopefully this will ease me back into writing. i'll apologize beforehand for inconsistant updates (it will most likely happen at some point).

Since this is a semi formed story(ive got the main events/ideas down im just not too clear on the details yet), I'll give you a main summary of where im hoping to take this.

SUMMARY:

Ashiya Mizuki is a veterarian whose having trouble finding the "perfect man". Being rather tomboyish turn guys off and she struggles to find the balance between who she feel comfortable being and what men want in a female. To the rescue comes her best friend Julia who plots to find her the perfect guy. Julia's idea? Put Mizuki underneath the tutelage of famous athlete Izumi Sano, a man who has no problems getting any girl. It's up to Sano to make Mizuki into a girl any man including himself would want.

* * *

Why did all her dates seem to end like this? Mizuki sighed and tuned out the man seated across from her. It was going to one of those nights. It almost always was one of those nights. She didn't know why she even bothered anymore. All her attempts at dating ended the same way.

"You're a nice person. But… I'll be blunt, you're just to masculine for me. I mean… not that you're a man. Its just you look more like a boy than a girl." her date blabbered. "That's not to say you won't be a great catch for any man."

Mizuki listened halfheartedly. She had heard variations of the break up speech dozens of times and each time, it never changed. As her date continued to babble, Mizuki stared at her reflection in the restaurant window. She did look a bit boyish with her cropped light brown hair. Admittedly, Mizuki also had the tendency to dress in jeans and t-shirts. The whole dress or skirt outfit she was currently in wasn't something she did often.

"I'm really sorry. It's me… not you." her date finished his breakup speech.

As in every version of the breakup speech, it was followed by the mandatory awkward silence. Mizuki tried to search her mind for something to say, but found nothing. Finally, she settled on the usual response.

"I understand, Ethan." Mizuki smiled.

"You do?" he looked surprised, rearranging his face from the preset mask of sympathy that guys usually put on when they though a female was going to be in tears.

"Yeah." she nodded. "Thanks for dinner." She couldn't wait to leave and nurse her damaged self esteem at home with a pint of Haagen-Dazs ice cream.

When Mizuki arrived home half an hour later, she found a rather unwelcome welcome party taking advantage of the living room in her apartment. Battling in front of the large television set was Mizuki's long time friend, Julia Maxwell and her boyfriend, Shuichi Nakatsu.

"How did you get in?" Mizuki questioned throwing her purse into the matching loveseat.

"Spare key…" Julia answered.

"And you let her, Nakatsu?" Mizuki trained her gaze on the blonde young man trying to protect himself from his girlfriend's barraging attacks with the Wii remote.

"She's your best friend?" Nakatsu justified lamely. His face projected a helpless look while his shoulders gave the classic "what could I do?" shrug.

"So, how was the date?" the other girl asked.

Mizuki shot her a look to which the brunette winced.

"That bad?" she pursued, only to receive a sharp nudge from her man. "Ouch…"

Nakatsu shot his fiancé a warning glance before turning his attention back to his future cousin in law.

"Thanks for that Nakatsu." Mizuki grinned at the blonde. "Yes, Julia, it was that bad.

"Do I need to challenge him? Punch his face? Show him the wrath of messing with someone whose associated with Shuichi Nakatsu?" Nakatsu volunteered.

Mizuki couldn't wipe off the giant grin that spread on her face. Half heartedly, she declined his offers.

"Nah, I'll be fine." Mizuki shook her head. "I'm going to bed. I've an early day at the office tomorrow."

Julia laid down her Wii remote and gave her boyfriend a sharp jab in the side.

"Owww!" Nakatsu cried.

"We have to do something." she decided.

"Do what?"

"I don't know…" Julia admitted. "But I hate seeing her like that. We're going to find her the perfect man."

Nakatsu looked nervously at his girlfriend. The look on Julia's face was one he knew all too well. She would find someway to execute whatever plan was forming in her mind. Someone help him and Mizuki both when Julia decided to put her operation into action. He had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

any mistakes? tell me so i can fix them. i'm pretty sure i got them all, but i could have missed some.

anyway, thanks for reading and most importantly....

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! lol if you like the sample or just want me to continue review! and leave suggestions, criticisms, orders, ect... -- REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2!

sorry for the late updates... i'm reverting back to my school excuse. my parents have put me under quarantine until i've cracked open and studied for the forthcoming SATs and the HSPAs (standardized testing for NJ high school juniors... its their way of making sure we're not all idiots). as a result, the extent of my writing abilities have been limited to trigonomic equations and bubbling in answers on scantrons

anyway... enough of that... welcome to chapter 2!

as always... i do not own hana kimi blah blah blah

thanks for reading and remember to review!

* * *

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Nakatsu looked skeptically at his fiancée.

"Yes." Julia looked determined.

With a sigh, Nakatsu punched in the number to Julia's newest victim and waited for the person to pick up. His bad feeling had been right. No good could come to this. When his person finally picked up, Nakatsu relayed Julia's message and disconnected the call.

"There… its done." he slid the cell phone back into his pocket.

"Good. I know I'm marrying you for a good reason." Julia grinned. "Now… let's go find Mizuki. She's going to need to get ready."

*********

When Julia and Nakatsu entered Ashiya Veterinary Clinic, they found Mizuki's receptionist and nurse splitting their attention between ESPN and a large spread from the latest celebrity magazine.

"Rio! Kanna!" Julia greeted the two girls.

"SHHHH!!!" Rio hissed. "He's coming back on!"

"Who is?"

"Izumi Sano." Kanna replied.

Julia glanced at the TV where the ESPN logo flashed before returning back to its programming.

"We're here with Izumi Sano, the number one high jumper in the world. So, Sano, rumor has it that you're planning on leaving competition." the commentator on the screen shoved a large microphone in the athlete's face.

The scene cut from the "curious" reporter to a medium close up of handsome young man in his mid twenties. The man had tousled black hair that fell nonchalantly over his dark eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave the reported a confident smirk before answering the question. "I make it point not to believe rumors. However, I will be taking advantage of my vacation before coming back."

"It's Sano." Nakatsu grinned looking at his superstar best friend on the screen. "He's coming to- OW!" It took Nakatsu a second to understand fully the message behind Julia's lethal glare.

"I'd get with that in a hot second." Rio sighed wistfully. "Wouldn't you, Kanna?"

"Well…" the other girl looked uncomfortable. "What can we do for you?" Kanna cleverly diverted the question to the new arrivals.

"Is Mizuki free? I need to talk to her about… wedding arrangements." Julia replied.

"Kanna, you go check." Rio commanded, her eyes still glued on the television screen.

Sighing, Kanna departed through the double doors that led to the operating room and the kennels behind.

*******

"You are a good boy aren't you, Yujirou?" Mizuki laughed as the large golden retriever covered her in a wet kiss. "One last biscuit and then I have to go check on your buddies outside." the young vet laughed as the canine greedily licked the biscuit from her outstretched hand.

Forcing herself to get back to work, Mizuki corralled her furry companion out the back door which led to the large canine playground outside. Immediately, she was greeted by the sound of her patients barking and the jingle of collars as they sped around the grassy area. Without a warning, Yujirou detached himself from her side and became a golden streak as he attacked his favorite yellow ball in the corner of the playground. It wasn't long before Yujirou was surrounded by his other companions. It was moments like this that Mizuki loved her job. Animals were so easy to please. As long as you loved them they loved you back no matter what. It was a great feeling to know that no matter what you did, the furry creatures would always be there to greet you with a wet kiss, wagging tail, and a happy bark.

"Mizuki…Mizuki… MIZUKI!"

"Huh?" the young lady pulled herself out of her thoughts.

"Julia and Nakatsu are out front. They want to talk to you." Kanna relied the message from the couple.

Sighing, Mizuki nodded and closed the door. No doubt Julia had come up with another one of her blind dates. She didn't feel like going on another one. No matter how many times she told her best friend, Julia would always come up with another reason why this guy or that was "the one" or some such nonsense. She knew why Julia went through the trouble of setting up these events. It was nice to know that someone out there cared enough about her future to help. She'd just go out there refuse Julia's idea and then come up with some excuse as to why she couldn't go. With that in mind, Mizuki followed Kanna out to the front of her clinic.

When Mizuki walked out into the reception area, she was attacked by a large bear hug from the waiting Julia. Automatically, the woman's defenses went up. Julia wanted something and whatever it was that she wanted, Mizuki knew that she was not going to like it.

"Are you free?' Julia asked. "I want to go to lunch."

Mizuki looked from Nakatsu back to Julia. Her eyes narrowed the teeniest bit as she tried to decipher what it was that was expected from her.

"I need my maid of honor to help me with some wedding details. Please?" Julia begged, throwing in her forlorn bride face for good measure.

Sighing, Mizuki relented. There was no way she could refuse Julia anything, especially not when she produced that ridiculous face. "Kanna, you can take care of the afternoon clients, right? The list of animals that need their medications are on the bulletin board. Mr. Himejima will be picking up Oscar Jr. at one." Mizuki stifled a laugh as her mind conjured up the poor Japanese Chin, who with its black and white coat, and demanding personality resembled more than one aspect of its dramatic owner.

It wasn't long before Mizuki regretted her decision to go to lunch with Julia. The two girls were seated at the local café waiting for their orders to arrive. Nakatsu had disappeared earlier under the excuse that his trainer had called and needed to speak to him immediately. Julia was still a bit chagrinned that her man had abandoned her so quickly.

"So, is something going wrong?" Mizuki finally asked.

"Not exactly." Julia sipped at her lemonade. "Its more about the guests."

"Huh?"

"One of our guests is arriving early…"

"How early?" Mizuki asked.

"The day after tomorrow…" Julia answered.

"Oh. Do you need the number for a hotel? I could give you the number to Io Nanba's resort. She'll give you a discount." Mizuki offered.

"That's just it…" Julia started slowly. "The guest I'm talking about needs a secluded place to stay. Nanba's place is just too… popular."

Immediately, Mizuki's alarms went off. She was going to regret asking her next question. "Who is the guest?"

"That's not important. The important thing is that I was hoping you could let him stay at your place until the wedding." Julia brushed off the question.

"Julia!" Mizuki cried. "Who is the guest?" she repeated.

"Is-shoomy, Sh-anyo…" Julia answered, conveniently shoving a mouthful of salad in her mouth.

"Izumi Sano?!" Mizuki exploded.

"Shhh!" Julia hissed as several people on the café all stopped to turn and stare.

"How could you? Why is he here so early? Why can't he stay at your place?" Mizuki whispered.

"Pleeeeeease. He's Nakatsu's best man so he has to be here and you know why he can't stay at my place." Julia rushed out. "Pleeease."

"No I don't know why actually." Mizuki glared. "No."

"Pleeease. For me? I promise I'll make it up to you. No more blind dates. You'll never have to do me another favor. Just please." Julia pleaded.

Mizuki shook her head, but stopped when she saw the look on Julia's face. The girl looked so desperate. It's for Julia's wedding, Mizuki mused. No, she couldn't. It wasn't possible. But, Julia had been looking forward to getting married all her life. Mizuki still remembered when the two of them were kids and they'd played dress up and have fake wedding ceremonies. Quickly, guilt began to seep into Mizuki's refusal. This was her best friend. She couldn't ruin Julia's wedding. And look, there were tears running down Julia's face. Mizuki's wall began to crack. How hard was it to house an international superstar athlete for a month? She would hardly see him. He probably had a whole bunch of things to do. Not to mention Nakatsu would most likely monopolize Sano's time, which meant that she would most likely never have to see the guy.

"I understand…" Julia sighed. "I mean its not fair to have you rearrange everything for my wedding. Thanks anyway though. You are one good friend."

She was going to regret this so much. Every bone her in her body said as much, still, Mizuki could not help it as the next several words flew out of mouth. "Fine. I'll do it."

It was as if the last several minutes had never happened. Immediately, the tears that had been on Julia's face seemed to evaporate as a brilliant smile took its place on the girl's face

"Thank you! I love you! You're a lifesaver!" Julia got up to hug her friend. "I owe you one."

Reluctantly, Mizuki returned her friends hug as she made herself a mental note to buy some gaff tape for her mouth.

"Oh… by the way, you'll need to pick Sano up from the airport. His plane arrives a four o'clock." Julia grinned. "Thanks again. You're the best!"

Mizuki mentally groaned. What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

**some comments from the author: **

-the ESPN thing 

i dont watch ESPN nor do i keep up with sports (other than tennis). im not even sure if the channel keeps up with track and field. but for our purposes we'll say they do

-the dogs:

Yujirou

i orginally had Yujirou down as an American Eskimo Dog. That decision was based off of the large white dog that portrayed Yujirou in the Taiwanese version of Hana Kimi. Thanks to KHchick101 who set me right. for those of you who still want to see a pic of my "original" Yujirou, the link is still up on my profile

Oscar Jr. (Himejima's dog)

i always thought that oscar would end up getting a dog... link to picture on my profile

Gaff tape

tape that techies use all cure all... if you want the more technical desciption of this amazing creation check out the link on my profile

*********

as always, thanks for reading and remember to review! its much appreaciated! thanks to those of you who have reviewed!


	3. Chapter 3

It's currently 12:23 AM where i am... and im starting to loath the month of March. I just finished HSPA (a useless standardized test given by teh state of NJ to make sure we're all smart enough to graduate) and i have SAT next saturday... which i should be studying for... but im not and i have the National Latin Exams next week oh fun! not...

anyway... i hope this chapter doesnt fail miserably. i had to drag my creative writing skills out of the recycling bin after the writing section of the HSPA. Spending most of your week writing about tobacco issues and fast food tends to drain the creativity from you.

now for the usual business stuff:

i do not own hana kimi or its affiliations...all situations presented in the following are completely fictional and all similiar occurances in reality are simply conincidences (events that this author takes no credit or responsibility for).

i think i went a little overboard there. you think so too? yeah i thought so.

* * *

Four o' clock, that was what Julia had said. Mizuki checked her wristwatch one more time. The flight was fifteen minutes late. She was really starting to regret agreeing to Julia's inane demands. Actually, if Mizuki was being entirely honest, she had regretted best friend's request from the moment her mouth decided to utter her consent. Why did she always get herself into situations like these?

"Flight from Osaka, Japan is now arriving." a woman's voice rang over the airport's intercom system. "All passengers will be departing at gate seven."

That had to be the flight. Sighing, Mizuki followed the mass of people to gate seven wondering how exactly she was suppose to greet Izumi Sano. Under her obvious frustration, Mizuki was secretly nervous. She hadn't seen Sano since high school nor had she spoken to him since then. Julia had assumed her that Sano was expecting Mizuki to pick him up and that the man clearly remembered her. It was going to be great, the young woman groaned. She'd go from distant classmate from five years back to instant roommate; that was assuming he remembered her. Despite Julia's earlier reassurances, Mizuki highly doubted the athlete would have any recollection of her. The last thought only added to her dread of the inevitable awkwardness in her future.

"Mizuki? Ashiya Mizuki?" the rich tenor of a man's voice reached Mizuki's ears just as a large hand touched her right shoulder.

Mizuki jumped at the touch and nearly face planted herself on the cold linoleum airport floor.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." the man apologized as he helped Mizuki her balance.

Feeling more stable on her feet, Mizuki looked up to thank her rescuer. Her eyes scanned over the man's tall lean form. It wasn't until Mizuki took in the man's dark black hair and dark eyes that her mind finally realized who the guy was.

"S-sano?" she couldn't trust her voice.

"Yes." Sano replied, trying to stifle the smirk that was threatening to appear on his face. In his current predicament, he figured it was not in his best interest to laugh at the lady.

Successfully keeping a straight face, Sano watched as Mizuki collected herself. She hadn't changed since he last saw her at their high school graduation. Then again, Mizuki wasn't a person one could easily forget. She still had the same unruly golden brown hair and she still dressed like a guy. That had been one of the reasons Sano had be able to spot Mizuki so easily. Not many women wore red Converses, khaki cargo shorts, and a red Adidas t-shirt.

"Um… uh….are you ready?" Mizuki tried to calm her jittery nerves.

"Ready?" Sano raised an eyebrow in question.

"To go." the girl clarified.

To answer her question, Sano slung his backpack over his shoulder and motioned for her to lead. Regaining some of her earlier poise, Mizuki hurried through the airport crowd toward the exit. Behind her, Sano tried to stifle his amusement; that girl was still an open book. All her emotions could be seen in her simplest actions.

The car ride from the airport had to be the quietest and longest half hour of her life. She and Sano had hardly spoken two words except when the athlete had commented on her choice of vehicle. She didn't understand what was so amusing about owning a white pickup truck. It was practical for her profession.

"We're here." Mizuki stiffly announced as she turned the truck into the driveway of her humble home.

"Nice house." Sano commented grabbing his things from the trunk.

The comment was lost on Mizuki when she stopped in her tracks. A deep frown creased her forehead as a loud bark rang from next door followed by a loud curse.

"Crap on toast." Mizuki groaned, running off her property.

Sano dropped his suitcase as he watched Mizuki speeding off to the house next door. Feeling rather abandoned and more than curious, Sano followed her.

The scene that greeted Sano next door was not one that he expected. Mizuki was bent over a large golden retriever, her cheeks a tomato red as she apologized profusely to a good looking blonde young man. Sano knew that blush all too well. Little Mizuki had a crush oh her neighbor. Rather amused by the new development, Sano disappeared back onto Mizuki's side of the property.

It wasn't long before Mizuki came back dragging the large form of the golden retriever by its leash. Sano looked up from his spot on the front porch. His smirk said all that was needed at Mizuki's bright red complexion.

"Welcome back." Sano grinned.

Mizuki gave no reply as she tried to maneuver Yujiro around so he wasn't next to Sano.

"Need help?" her guest asked, taking pity on her predicament.

"I wouldn't…" Mizuki began to protest. "Yujiro doesn't like…guys."

The young lady's explanation was cut short as her dog's leash was released from her hand. She held her breath as Sano calmly bent down to burrow his hands into the retriever's soft golden fur.

"Hmmm?"

"Nothing." Mizuki muttered a bit peeved and bewildered at her dog's reaction to Sano.

Opening the door, Mizuki took Yujiro back from Sano and waited for him to enter before following after him. The interior of Mizuki's home was brightly furnished and clearly reflected the bright personality of its owner. The walls of the living room were painted a calming blue, while white framed pictures of sunflowers dotted the walls. A cream colored leather couch scattered with animal pillows sat across from the large television which was separated by a glass top coffee table.

From the living room, Mizuki led Sano up to the second floor where she showed him to the spare guest bedroom. Leaving him to his own devices, she rushed downstairs to answer the yowling screams of Yujiro begging for his dinner.

"You are such a cheater." Mizuki addressed the canine as she poured dog food into his bowl. "I thought you didn't like guys."

Yujiro gave his owner a look that seemed to say "I can't help it."

Sighing, Mizuki forced buried her face into the dog's fur. "This will be one long month."

* * *

that my readers was chapter 3...

unfortunately i have no visuals for this... but you can still find out what gaff tape is on my main page thing

as always... thanks for reading and remember to review...


	4. Chapter 4

According to popular philosophy, its ususally known that one does not talk of how bad something is before the public has actually read it. In which case, it would mean that i would not tell you all how horrible i think this chapter is before you guys actually read and make your own opinions. Because, according to logic, saying terrible things about something that you have never read will influence your future evaluation of the following work and cause you not to read it. make sense? while all that is true, the modern society has also created a brand new opposition to such philosophy. This new front against horrible feelings toward unevaluated work is called: EXCUSES! which the author will now indulge in.

(cough) so, i stopped writing because if u read by idiotic ramblings in the previous chapter, i was taking teh SATs and it sucked out alll the fun in life. i would tell you about it but apparently im under oath not to speak of such things until the scores are out. plus, i dont think you would be interested. anyway, after SATs i had a one week recovering period which was taken up by my 9 classes and such. after which i had a musical to participate in (im a techie!) proceeding that ordeal is teh health care party of which i had to follow and write billions of essays and evaluations on. sounds fun right? which led me the sunday night when i remembered that i hadn't updated in a while and pulled this chapter out of my tushy and hoped it didn't stink. the point is................... take pity on me! so........ yeah......................

disclaimer: must i write this? you all know i dont have rights to any part of Hana Kimi poo (sad face)

* * *

When Sano woke the next morning, his first thought was to what had woken him in the first place. Cracking open one sleepy eye, Sano saw enough to assume that he was not at anywhere he was familiar with before a large wet pink tongue attacked his face.

"Woof!"

Suddenly, the answer dawned on him. Someone or rather something had been licking his face. Raising a hand to battle off his slobbery attacker, Sano grimaced a bit when his hands came away a bit damp.

"Woof!"

"I'm getting up." Sano muttered, raising himself from the mattress. "Its not like anyone can sleep with you here, Yujiro."

Seeming rather pleased with his work, the large golden retriever let loose another bark. Yawning, Sano absentmindedly reached out to pat the mischievous canine as he sleepily shuffled his way to what he hoped was the bathroom. Minutes later, he came back out slightly more awake and relieved of evidence regarding Yujiro's displays of affection.

After dressing himself in a pair of faded blue jeans and a red t-shirt, Sano made his way down the stair. He found the first floor completely deserted save for the plate of cinnamon buns. Sano winced at the sickly sweet smell and hoped that there was somewhere to get breakfast that didn't smell like sugar and cough syrup.

"Come on Yujiro. Let's go find some food." Sano looked down at his golden shadow.

Hearing the word "food", Yujiro let out another happy bark and attached himself closer to Sano. Pocketing the spare set of keys Mizuki had given him the night before, his cell phone, and his wallet, Sano connected Yujiro to his leash and opened the door.

The scene that followed Sano exit was something that should have belonged in a movie. The second Sano opened the door, he found himself jerked across the threshold. Managing to regain his composure, Sano watched as Mizuki lunged between the dog and the man she was talking to. That action caused the man to topple onto the bed of flowers and an excited Yujiro to start pulling on the leash once more. This time, Sano dug his heels into the grass and held on as the large canine tried to go for the man in the grass.

"I'm so sorry!" Mizuki cried as she hurried over to the man. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." the man replied shakily.

Wrapping the leash around his arm a couple of times, Sano reached out his free hand to the man. "Sorry, I'm Sano."

"Sano." the man repeated. "You mean the high jumper?"

Mizuki looked between the two men nervously. "Um… Gilbert, this is Izumi Sano. Sano, this is my neighbor, Gilbert."

"Nice to meet you." Sano shook his hand, trying to get over the fact that something seemed familiar about the guy.

"Same." Gilbert nodded. "Mizuki never said you knew each other."

"We don't!" Mizuki blurted. "I mean, I do know him. He's just staying with me until Julia's wedding. He's the best man." mentally, the young vet slapped herself for babbling.

Rather amused by the reckless burst of words, Sano watched as Mizuki's face turned as red as it had been the day before. Oh yeah, Mizuki had a thing for this guy.

"Oh, well I should get going." Gilbert politely excused himself. "Nice to meet you, Sano. See you later, Mizuki."

"See you." Mizuki waved.

Oh yes, Mizuki had a HUGE thing for this guy. She had never been good at hiding her emotions and her impulsive behavior was not an asset to the fact either.

"What are you doing?" Mizuki tore her eyes away from the neighbor.

"Going to breakfast." Sano replied. "Know any good place?"

At that thought, Mizuki's stomach growled and was reminded of the plate of cinnamon rolls inside. The sound was received with an amused chuckle from her guest. Still a bit indignant and more than a little bit embarrassed, Mizuki glared at him and managed to come up with a reasonable enough comeback.

"With my dog?" she retorted sarcastically.

"I was planning on renting a car and some other things." Sano replied patting Yujiro. "I figured he'd like to come and stretch his legs."

Realizing that at the moment, Sano was sort of lacking a vehicle, Mizuki felt herself relax. "Oh. I can take you with me now. I'm planning on going to the office and the Rent-A-Car place isn't that far away from there. Wake here, I'll go get my keys."

Sano watched as Mizuki disappeared into the house. A chuckle escaped from his lips as he ran his fingers through Yujiro's soft hair.

"You have one interesting mistress." he commented.

"What?" Mizuki frowned reappearing from his side. "Nothing." Sano shook his head.

Shrugging, Mizuki unlocked the truck doors and relieved Yujiro from Sano's grasp. Opening the truck bed, the vet urged the retriever to take his spot in the back. Yujiro happily jumped on the truck bed and gave Mizuki a wet kiss.

"Cheaters." she muttered as she shut the door.

* * *

Sano couldn't get over the fact that Mizuki drove a truck. Sure, it fit in with her tomboyish personality, but it was a complete mismatch with her petite frame. Then again, it was wrong to judge a person only by their looks. If Sano had to judge Mizuki by her looks, he would have said she looked like a ten year old boy, which he was sure she would not have appreciated.

"What?" Mizuki took her eyes off the road to glare at Sano.

"Nothing." Sano grinned.

Mizuki returned her gaze on the road rather confused and somewhat annoyed by Sano. The smirk on his face seemed to mock her, as if reveling in some private joke at her expense. Ugh, famous people.

"So, who is Gilbert?" Sano asked, breaking through Mizuki's mental monologue.

"No one." Mizuki jumped. "I mean, my neighbor."

"I know, but he seems familiar." Sano admitted.

"Oh, he's a well known adventurer. Gil's an explorer, or rather a mountain climber. He's been in a couple of magazines." Mizuki clarified. "You might have also seen him on the news. He's the youngest person to scale the three tallest mountains in the world."

"Oh. Do you like him?" Sano found himself asking.

The question pulled Mizuki up short. How did he know? Or rather, how did he guess? Keeping her gaze on the road, she tried to come up with a noncommittal answer. She nearly cheered when she saw the Rent-A-Car shop ahead. She never thought five hundred feet could be so long.

"Here you are." Mizuki practically kicked Sano out of her truck. "Give me a call if you need anything. Oh, and you should stop over at Nakatsu's." she cried before speeding off.

Sano waved a hand as he watched her hurry off. Ashiya Mizuki, you never change, he thought to himself as he entered the shop.

* * *

so? did my telling you that i think it sucked have any influence? im thinking of rewriting this thing,but chances are ill never get to it cuz im a lazy bum. for those of you serious passionate writers i bow down to your tenacity and yes you may scold me for my lethargy

anyway.... leave your reviews and thanks to those of you who have favorited and subscribed! now all u gotta do is leave me reviews! im shameless i know! (happy face)


	5. The Author Has a Lot of Explaining to Do

Update (sorta):

Bad news:

Due to AP exams and SATs I haven't been able to find the time to actually write. The excessive studying and self imposed quarantine to achieve unrealistic scholastic goals imposed by family expectations is not good for one's creative flow. Basically…. I'm forced to screw all fun and studying until these stupid tests are over.

Good news:

I have ideas and future chapters scribbled down so I do know where I'm thinking of taking this thing. I just need to find time to sit down and write. You can expect something around May 19th. Yes… you can groan, moan, cry, yell, scream, kick, curse, rant, or simply be apathetic, but I won't have time until my last AP test is over…which doesn't happened until 12:45ish pm on May 189th 2010. If you don't have anything within two days of that date… you are completely welcome to send the complain mail.

I think that's it…. Forgive me while I crawl back into my hole of scholastic hell.


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